A Skulduggery Pleasant Story
by RTNightmare
Summary: Title will change. Now rated M for Sex! Pairings: Valduggery, Ghanith, FletcherxOC, and ChinaxOC. Not really a summary, but I'll try to make it good and in character. I'll rewrite this summary better soon! R&R! Constructive crit! (DISCONTINUED, SORRY)
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

_Author's Comments: I am seriously trying my best not to mess this up, but seeing as this series is not complete, I don't know what might happen. If the seventh book comes out and it's nothing like what I'm writing, then I'm terribly sorry. I am researching the characters of this series and I hope to do a good job. Read and review and tell me how I'm doing please. Thanks! On with the story! And by the way, this is my first attempt at writing something for the Skulduggery Pleasant series. Let's hope I don't mess up! ^^;_

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><p>It was another uneventful day in Dublin, Ireland. Well, it would've been considered uneventful for any mortal who lived there. But for a duo of detectives, it was anything but. Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant were on another case, and this one was a bit harder than usual. Sure, they were used to their enemies throwing punches and fighting back, but the two men, Jogan Gray and Tosh Pistol, were putting up a good fight.<p>

"Why won't they just surrender?" Valkyrie groaned. Skulduggery chuckled as they stood back to back, "They don't ever do what we tell them, do they?" Jogan, who was facing Valkyrie, aimed and thrust his fist forward, missing by half an inch before recoiling when he earned a kick from the female detective.

Tosh seemed to be having less luck than his partner in crime and couldn't even attempt to punch Skulduggery because before he could get that far, Skulduggery slammed into him, delivering a series of punches and kicks that eventually knocked the man out. Skulduggery got off Tosh's unconscious form and turned to his partner just as she slammed a foot into his stomach, finishing him off with an elbow to the head. He rocked back and fell. He didn't get up.

"Finally!" She sighed in annoyance. Skulduggery laughed softly and took out a pair of bound handcuffs. Valkyrie did the same and they both handcuffed their unconscious opponents and dragged them, Valkyrie with difficulty, to the Bentley. After pushing their unconscious forms into the backseat of the car, the detectives went to the front and got settled before Skulduggery put the car in gear and drove off.

They reached the Roarhaven Sanctuary after fifteen minutes and were greeted by Cleavers accompanying one of the Roarhaven Sanctuary Elders, Ghastly Bespoke, a personal friend of Skulduggery and Valkyrie. He smiled when they got out, "I assume you found them." Valkyrie nodded, "And they were hard to fight, let me tell you!" Skulduggery opened the door to the backseat where the prisoners were as he added, "But we managed."

Ghastly nodded, "Very good; I expected nothing less." And he nodded to the Cleavers next to him who grabbed the unconscious men and made their way inside the Sanctuary. They walked into the medical bay where the still slightly mad scientist Doctor Nye was at work with another one of its patients. Nye looked up and smiled disgustingly, "Ah, so you caught them! Am I allowed to torture them if they don't give you the information you want." Ghastly scowled, "We'll see." Doctor Nye seemed satisfied enough.

An hour later, the two men were awake and chained tightly to operation tables. Valkyrie and Skulduggery walked in and the two men turned to them, both the men's eyes were filled with anger and fear. "What are you planning to do?" Tosh asked, the fear present in his voice. "Well," Doctor Nye answered before anyone else could. "I'm going to open you up, take out your organs, and use them in my experiments." The two men gasped, trying to break free from their binds.

"Nye, shut up!" Skulduggery growled. He sighed and turned back to the men strapped to the operation tables. "Sorry about him. He's used to be back in a warehouse where he tortured his victims." He received two horrified looks from the men. "Anyways," he continued, "We were wondering if you could give us a little information that we believe you have." He paused, and then said, "We want to find our friend, Tanith Low."

Jogan's head popped up a little, as high as it could go with the restraints. "You mean the remnant girl?" Skulduggery nodded, "What do you know of her whereabouts?" Tosh answered this time, "She's in Dundalk, the last time I heard. That's what one of our mates said. He actually fought her and was nearly killed by her and her psycho boyfriend."

Valkyrie stepped forward, "Dundalk? Are you sure?" They nodded in unison. "That's what our mate said." Jogan said. "And who is this mate of yours?" Skulduggery asked. Tosh and Jogan looked at each other. Then Tosh said, "We keep the names of our mates a secret, Bone Man!" Skulduggery looked at Nye, "You have permission to torture them until they give us the name of their 'mate'." Nye looked happy as he pulled out a long, sharp instrument.

The men gasped. "Wait! Wait!" Tosh said. "Okay, his name is Blaze Dagger!" Skulduggery tilted his head, "Oh really?" He said thoughtfully, and then said, "I'm not at all surprised by this. Blaze is a very strong man, so of course he could hold his own against Tanith, even with the remnant in her." Valkyrie walked up to him, "You know this guy?" Skulduggery nodded, "But of course. He's one of the big bosses. Or he used to be. One of his slip ups caused him to lose that position. But he is no rookie when it comes to magic."

They walked out, Skulduggery telling Nye to leave them alone. Nye frowned angrily, but agreed nonetheless, knowing that if he acted without permission, he could very well get shot by the Skeleton Detective. Skulduggery and Valkyrie, on the other hand, were walking to Ghastly's office. They knocked and the door opened immediately. They walked in and found Ghastly at his desk.

"So?" He began, looking up from his papers. "Did you find out where she is?" Skulduggery answered, "The men said that their 'mate', Blaze Dagger fought her in Dundalk. We can only hope she's still there. We'll ask around, see if anyone's seen her." Ghastly nodded, "I'd come with you, but I have other Elder things to do. What I would give to go on adventures with you two again." Skulduggery bowed, "Well, we must be off." Ghastly nodded sadly, "Be careful." Valkyrie replied, "We always are."

They left the office and Skulduggery turned to his partner. "I think you meant to say that while I always am careful, you head straight into trouble." She scowled and slapped his arm. "I do not!" She hissed loudly. She could hear his amusement as he answered, "Oh yes you do. And everyone knows it." He paused. "And then I always come to the rescue. Aren't I great?" She slapped her forehead as they walked outside to the Bentley. "Let's just go." She mumbled as they got in. Skulduggery nodded, turning the car on and putting it into gear. Then, they sped off in the direction of Dundalk to get their lost friend back.

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><p><em>End Note: Sorry if it's short. I have another chapter, but I need to edit it. Please...feel free to critique me as long as it's constructive. I'm trying my best to make these characters STAY in character. More to come once I edit it! ;)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

_Author's Notes: Okay, tell me if I'm doing anything wrong. Before I continue, I want to tell you my strategy in writing this. First, I planned out the events on yellow, lined paper. I drew a line down the middle. On the left side, I put 'Chapter Scenes'. On the right, I put 'Important Info', just so I wouldn't forget anything. As for actually writing the story, I started it on the computer, to be edited later. Now, with dialogue, I would write out a sentence, and if it's a sentence said by Skulduggery, I had to be careful. So sometimes, I rewrote them. I noticed that a lot of writer's give him a bigger ego than he actually has. Sure, he does talk highly of himself. But he doesn't do it 24/7, which is what some authors that are not Derek Landy HAVE done. So, being the observant gal I am, I made sure to put only a little at the end because these things come in snippets. I know many people LOVE Skulduggery's lovely attitude, but they tend to write it wrong when they get to that. I didn't want to make that mistake. You all can always correct me if I do something that's OOC (out of character). I will, if I have the patience to, redo it and make it more believable. But the goal of me writing this story is to have it as spot on as possible. Make it believable. Please…read and review and tell me how I'm doing. Thanks! And if you really wanted a fight scene, tell me and I'll write it in and update it. ^^;_

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><p>It took one hour to get to Dundalk. They headed for the hidden sorcerer community and began to ask around, using a picture of Tanith as a reference. Most of the sorcerers who they spoke to and who answered told them to look at the Monasterboice in Collon. The Monasterboice was known by mortals and sorcerers for its remains of the monastic settlement founded by Saint Buite in the fifth century. The remains consisted of an old graveyard, two churches, three sculptured crosses, two early grave slabs, and a sundial, an instrument that indicates local apparent solar time by the shadow cast by a central projecting pointer on a calibrated dial.<p>

The two detectives walked into the ruins and quietly looked around. Valkyrie could feel the death in the graveyard through the ring on her finger. Being that she hadn't gone through the surge yet, she was happy that she could still do Necromancy alongside Elemental magic. Passing the graves, her ring grew colder. Then someone grabbed her from behind and dragged her to and through the doors of the church, the person covering Valkyrie's mouth so she couldn't call for help.

The church was dark and cold. The shadows were very creepy, though they gave Valkyrie power. Whoever dragged her into the church slammed her down and then laughed. "Wow! That was easier than I thought!" Valkyrie whipped around to look at Tanith Low, her lips black as night with an evil smirk on her face. The remnant was obviously still inside her.

"Tanith," Valkyrie began. "We've been looking for you." Tanith smiled wider, "So it seems. How have you been, Val? Have you gotten into any trouble lately? How's the skeleton treating you?" Valkyrie glared, "I'm fine. Please come quietly and so won't have to hurt you." Tanith laughed, "You hurt me? Now that'll be the day!"

Suddenly, something bashed into Tanith's head and she fell to the ground and groaned, unconscious. "She might be unable to hurt you," Skulduggery said to Tanith's unconscious form. "But I have a better chance." He turned to Valkyrie, "Where's Sanguine." Valkyrie answered his question by thrusting the shadows from around the room at someone behind Skulduggery.

Sanguine fell to the ground, having been hit hard by all the shadows. He tried to get up, but Valkyrie repeated the gesture and he fell again, without a sound, to the ground, unconscious. "Not the best place to fight with me." Valkyrie said with a smirked. Skulduggery nodded, "Come on, you take Tanith. I'll take her idiotic boyfriend." Knowing Tanith was not too heavy, Valkyrie had the shadows carry her out of the church and through the graveyard, back to the Bentley.

After settling the two unconscious people in the back, Skulduggery and Valkyrie walked to the front. "That was a little too easy, don't you agree?" Skulduggery said, tilting his head towards Valkyrie. She shrugged, "Maybe we're just that good." Skulduggery chuckled, "You mean maybe I'm just that good. You still have some time to go." Valkyrie frowned, "I took out Sanguine with only two hits from hundreds of shadows. Seriously, you have the biggest ego in the world." Skulduggery shrugged, "I'm allowed to gloat because I'm that great!"

They drove back to Dublin without any drama from the backseat and transferred the two into the operating room in the Sanctuary. The surprising thing was that Nye had already created a remnant killer when they hadn't known he had. According to him, remnants are like darkness. Therefore, the only reasonable way to get rid of them is to use light. He brought out a blinding white liquid that seemed to glow in the tube that contained it and poured half into Tanith's mouth.

Everyone watched in anticipation. Ghastly had a look of hope on his face, Skulduggery had his arms folded and tilted his head, and Valkyrie leaned forward, waiting. Sanguine snorted in his sleep. Everyone ignored him. There was suddenly a blinding light and then a whole lot of black smoke exited Tanith's mouth. Tanith's body was wriggling around as the smoke billowed out, the remainder of the remnant flowing out. When the smoke evaporated, Tanith's body stopped moving and she began to breathe heavily, as though testing her lungs for the first time in a while.

Everyone except Nye moved closer, Skulduggery moved aside as Ghastly came forward. He was now the closest one to Tanith, looking at her now peaceful face, waiting for something to happen to show that she was okay. Soon enough, after a whole lot of getting used to breathing, Tanith Low's eyes opened and she stared up a Ghastly, no longer being controlled by the remnant.

"Hi Ghastly," She managed to say through gasps. Ghastly smiled brightly and responded, "Hi, how are you feeling?" Tanith smiled, "Fine…what happened? All I remember is pushing Val out of the way as a remnant…" She trailed off and gasped. "Did I hurt anyone?" In the past, they had received a report of five sorcerers dead and ten injured since Tanith was taken over, all of the dead and injured were done by Tanith and Sanguine.

Skulduggery told her this information and motioned to Sanguine as he mentioned that he had been her boyfriend. Tanith frowned in disgust, "How could I love him? He's so…weird!" The group around her, not including Nye, laughed. "Yes, well, you were possessed so we don't blame you." Skulduggery said to make her feel better. Tanith sighed, "Please tell me I didn't kiss him." Valkyrie coughed and Tanith leaned back, ashamed of what she had done while she was possessed.

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><p><em>End Notes: Okay, so it was not a big fight scene. I'm no good at that, as I will explain in the next author's notes as well, just to remind you. I may rewrite it later though. Anyways, hopefully the really good stuff will come soon. Yay! :)<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

_Author's Notes: Chapter Two is iffy for me, because I can't write fight scenes very well. I might rewrite it later, but until then, I'm sticking with an easy capture. Now, I'm not sure about everyone who's planning to read this, but I am a Valduggery fan, so I WILL include that…and it will most likely be mature, because I'm weird like that. XD But don't worry, I'll make it as realistic as possible. Anyways, my notes tell me it's time for Tanith to catch up on the years she missed. So that's where I'll go. ^^; Read and Review! But only put down CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM! _

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><p>Tanith Low had missed a lot in the past three and some years. She was surprised to hear that Valkyrie's twentieth birthday was coming in about a month. She was so delighted that she was allowed to attend, even though she was still recovering. She insisted that she was fine and that she should be allowed to party like everyone else.<p>

And so, while working with Skulduggery and Valkyrie on a few cases, Tanith also worked on the party arrangements, the whole thing would take place at Valkyrie's current residents, which used to be and what Valkyrie still considered being Gordon's house. Whenever there was a big case that had been passed to Skulduggery and Valkyrie, but that was a little dangerous for Tanith who was still somewhat fragile, she would go to Gordon's house and continue planning, or go shopping for an outfit to wear for it. She had had little luck with the latter.

But life those days was not only about Tanith. Over the years, Skulduggery and Valkyrie had become closer. People had noticed this and whispered about it when they thought the two detectives weren't listening or around. Valkyrie ignored them and guessed that's what Skulduggery was doing. She had heard the rumors, but stuck with what she said all those years ago. He was too old for her, and that would definitely be a problem. What she didn't realize was that even though the age difference was great and she told herself that that was the reason she couldn't be with him, she was just lying to herself.

But her reflection knew better. Every time Valkyrie needed to watch over her little sister, Alice, while still on a case, Valkyrie would use the reflection. Not always, but a lot of the time because she needed to be in two places at once. One night, Valkyrie came home after Melissa Edgley, Valkyrie's mother, had come to pick up her younger daughter, and as she passed the reflection, it said, "You've been lying to yourself for quite a while about Skulduggery."

Valkyrie whirled around and stared at the girl who shared her looks. "What?" The reflection stood up. "It's written all over your face right now and written all over your mind whenever we share thoughts. You love him, and you know it." Valkyrie was about to interrupt, but the reflection beat her, "And don't say that he's too old when that clearly doesn't matter to you anymore." Valkyrie sighed, "To the mirror!" The reflection nodded, "Are you ready to resume your life?" Valkyrie nodded angrily, "Definitely!"

As they walked up the steps to Valkyrie's room, there came a giggle from one of the rooms upstairs. "Stay here!" Valkyrie ordered. The reflection nodded. Valkyrie zoomed up the steps and ran into the guest room and gaped at what she saw. Tanith was in the room and she was giggling to herself. "What is so funny?" Valkyrie asked. Tanith smiled up at her, "You're in love with Skulduggery!"

Valkyrie blushed, trying to decide if she should slap Tanith or run away. Instead she merely said, "Knock it off! I am not!" Tanith shook her head. "Your reflection is right. It's so obvious!" Valkyrie looked at her with a deep blush on her face. Seeing Valkyrie blush like that only made Tanith laugh louder. Valkyrie felt like pouting, but instead she just walked away from Tanith.

_It's not true! _Valkyrie told herself._ I don't love Skulduggery! _But she knew she was only kidding herself, so she sighed and went downstairs. She saw the reflection and pointed up the steps, "Just Tanith. You can go." The reflection nodded and went up the steps. Valkyrie watched her reflection go before following after. She touched the mirror, absorbing all the reflections thoughts before going back out and down the steps and into the living room. Flopping down on the couch, she decided to watch a movie.

She flipped through channels until she saw a weird drama that she didn't know the name of. Not even five minutes later, Tanith came bounding down the steps. "So, Val," she said excitedly. "Are you going to tell me how long you've had a crush on him?" Valkyrie sighed, turned off the television, stood up, and walked into the kitchen. Tanith followed.

"I won't tell!" She said. Then she thought of something better. "Or I will unless you tell me all the details." Valkyrie made her hands into fist and whirled around angrily, said, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Tanith shrunk back a little. "Gee, someone here isn't comfortable with their feelings." Valkyrie growled angrily and stormed away from her.

Meanwhile, Skulduggery was looking, with Ghastly, for a good present for Valkyrie. He assumed that flowers were more of a romantic gesture and they obviously wouldn't last forever. Since it was Valkyrie's twentieth birthday, he thought he'd give her something that would last. They had been looking around for ideas when Skulduggery thought a few years back when she gave him a hairbrush for Christmas.

Should he do something equally as amusing? Probably not! That could be better for Christmas, just to make it equal, though he hadn't actually given her a present that year, so maybe the idea wasn't a good one. It may have been a good idea, but it technically wasn't as equal as he first assumed it was.

Turning to Ghastly, he asked, "What do girls like that would be both amusing and will last? Or just the latter?" Ghastly shrugged, "Flowers or chocolate wouldn't work, but they are good gifts." Skulduggery frowned, his façade on now that they were in a super market. He looked away and walked out of the super market, making his way over to an antiques store.

As soon as he walked in, he saw it. It was perfect!

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><p><em>End Notes: Oh noes! I'm so mean! What will Skulduggery get for Valkyrie? Will Tanith stop pestering Valkyrie? Will Skulduggery find out that Valkyrie has feelings for him and will he return them? All the answer to come! ;) By the way, this chapter took longer to get done because I didn't know what to write. Sorry! I'll try to do better! <em>


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

_Author's Notes: Hopefully, this will be good. It may not be the best chapter, but it has the start of some Valduggery, so there. Unfortunately, I don't know what you all will think. ^^; Just read and review and tell me how I did. Thank you! :)_

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><p>Valkyrie's twentieth birthday came and her close family, other relatives, and friends all attended. Valkyrie had grown to appreciate her cousins on her father's side a lot better. Even though they knew about magic but couldn't do it, they were always so intrigued to learn about what Valkyrie was doing lately.<p>

Beryl was her usual sharp self, if only slightly less. Fergus greeted Valkyrie with a nod and then turned away, walking after his wife. Carol and Crystal stayed longer and gossiped with her. Sure, Valkyrie wasn't really a gossip kind of girl, but she at least got to make them happier by telling them that she and Fletcher had broken up ages ago.

"Oh," Crystal had said. "I'm so sorry! Does that mean he's open?" Valkyrie shrugged, "I don't know. He moved away, so I wouldn't know." The twins looked depressed by this information, but decided to move on so more people could talk to Valkyrie.

Skulduggery and Ghastly arrived together in the Bentley at around 9:00PM. The party had originally started at 7:00, but they thought it was best to come later. Skulduggery now had his façade on and had jet black hair and deep blue eyes. His face was a little rounder than usual, but that only added to his other good qualities.

They walked into the already open door and found Valkyrie talking to her little sister, Alice. Alice was now three and was a little bit bigger than most toddlers her age. She was adorable, having inherited similar looks to Valkyrie. The only two big differences were their ages and their eyes. While Valkyrie had her father's dark eyes, Alice had her mother's bright blue eyes.

_They're both adorable!_ Skulduggery thought, smiling to himself. Then he realized what he was thinking and blushed. _Wait! I mean…_ He scratched the back of his head, now only wanting to leave to recompose himself. However, he didn't get the chance for Valkyrie had seen him and was walking towards him and Ghastly.

Quickly doing his best to hide his discomfort, he said, "Um, hi Stephanie!" He said, using her given name. "This is a very nice party!" Valkyrie smiled brightly, "Thank you! You're just in time. The dancing is just about to begin." Ghastly frowned, "Why now?" Valkyrie turned to him, "Because I first had to talk to everyone separately. Now that that's done, we can start dancing."

She motioned to the band in the corner. They nodded and began playing a rock song, a male and female singer started shouting out to get attention. Then they began to sing. Valkyrie pulled Skulduggery onto the dance floor. "Wait!" Skulduggery said, thrusting a box into her hand. "It's your present! It took me quite some time to find it, but I think you'll find it's quite beautiful!" She smiled and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning and running off to put it with her other presents.

The kiss caught Skulduggery off guard and he stared wide eyed after her. "Are you okay?" Skulduggery turned to Ghastly. Skulduggery nodded, "She kissed my cheek. She's never done that before." His words were barely audible, but Ghastly managed to hear them. He smiled, knowing what his friend was going through. Now it was the time to give a little push.

"You don't think it meant something, do you?" He asked. Skulduggery looked at him, a look of shock on his face. "What do you mean?" Ghastly shrugged, "All I'm saying is I think she likes you more than you know." Skulduggery smirked, "Everyone likes me! So why should she be any different?" Ghastly slapped him. "Not what I meant…"

Skulduggery's smirk faded as he turned back to Valkyrie who had returned. She pulled him to the dance floor. "Come on! You danced with China at the Requiem Ball. Now it's my turn! You owe me!" He smirked, "I owe you nothing, but fine." He pulled her into his arms as the band began to play a slow song.

Others were on the dance floor, but they seemed to watch Valkyrie and Skulduggery with interest. Everyone who wasn't dancing was watching them too. Melissa and Desmond Edgley, Valkyrie's parents, were confused as to who their daughter was dancing with. Valkyrie and Skulduggery didn't even pay attention to anyone else as they came closer and closer until Valkyrie was leaning against Skulduggery's chest and lower neck.

Circles of people began to form around them and soon enough, they were surrounded by four circled, the smallest one closest to them. They were contained in the circle, but they didn't seem to notice. It was too perfect as Valkyrie lifted her head to look into Skulduggery's sapphire eyes. She leaned up, so close, until…

BAM!

The door was smashed open and an angry Billy-Ray Sanguine walked in, "Alright, nobody move!"

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><p><em>End Notes: Sorry if this chapter seems short. I tried to make it longer, but it was no use. And now look, Sanguine is coming in. What could he possibly want? Wasn't he in the Sanctuary unconscious the last time we heard? Hmmmm….only I know what'll happen next! Tee hee! ^^<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

_Author's Notes: Okay, next chapter! I'm going to make this kind of dramatic, but it's not going to be a fight scene unfortunately, because it'll be better than that. Let's see if I can make it good. By the way, I don't think Skulduggery was in character in the previous chapter. I tried to make it seem more confident and egotistical, but I'm not sure if I fixed it. Aw well! Read and review once you read this chapter. I'm open for editing and for suggestions, so write a review and give me some pointers if you want._

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><p>Skulduggery and Valkyrie turned to Sanguine as they parted. "What are you doing here, Sanguine?" Skulduggery asked angrily. Sanguine took out his straight razor. "I've come to get revenge for you stealing my girlfriend. Oh Honey Bunny! Where are ya?" Tanith growled, "Shut up! Don't call me that!" From inside her coat, she drew out her sword.<p>

Some of Valkyrie's relatives stepped back. "What's going on?" Beryl shouted. "Why does that woman have a sword?" Nobody answered her questions. But finally, Valkyrie spoke, "Everyone stand against the far wall and stay out of this. We'll take care of this." She nodded to Skulduggery and Ghastly and they joined her in front of Sanguine.

"Steph, what are you doing?" Melissa Edgley nearly shrieked. Valkyrie ignored her and stared straight at Sanguine, feeling the ring on her finger as it drew in shadows. He smiled, "Why all the hostility?" His smile twisted. "Because," Skulduggery said. "You aren't on the guest list! You shouldn't be here! How'd you get out of the Sanctuary?"

Sanguine laughed, "The old fashion way...dug a hole, you know." Skulduggery glared, "But Nye had you strapped down!" Sanguine nodded, "While he was gone, I managed to get my straight razor out and saw myself loose. Now I'm ready to play!"

The mortals in the room were all together against the wall, so Valkyrie didn't worry too much, as long as they stayed out of the way. But now was the moment that Valkyrie wished didn't have to happen: the moment she revealed to everyone that magic existed.

Valkyrie opened her ringless hand and sparks went flying. Soon after, she was holding fire in her hands. Skulduggery looked at her in the corner of his eye. He was surprised that she would reveal her powers to her family, but decided that the only way they were going to defeat Sanguine was to fight with magic.

So, following Valkyrie's example, he conjured up fire into his own hand. Ghastly did the same. Sanguine's smile did not fade. He just stood there, playing with his razor. "I'll give you five seconds to leave, Sanguine!" Valkyrie growled. "After that, we attack!" He shrugged.

Five…four…three…two…ONE!

They all attacked just in time to see Sanguine plunge into the ground. They halted their attack and waited. "Damn," Valkyrie mumbled. Suddenly, Sanguine emerged from behind them, coming straight at Valkyrie's family. Valkyrie turned and screamed, "RUN!" But it was going to be too late. He was headed straight for Valkyrie's mother, and she couldn't move in time.

Then, with a single blink, they were all gone. The whole family had vanished. Valkyrie and her friend, along with Sanguine, gasped loudly. Less than ten seconds later, Fletcher appeared, hitting a confused Sanguine in the face. Sanguine hit a sofa and slid down. "Ow! What? You?" Fletcher nodded, "Yeah! Me!" Then he teleported away and reappeared with a baseball bat in his hand.

He hit Sanguine in the head four times before teleporting again. When he came back, he had a pair of boxing gloves. He began punching Sanguine until he sagged, unconscious on the floor against the sofa. Fletcher stood up straight and turned to Valkyrie as he let the gloves fall, "Well, that was fun!" Valkyrie was shocked, "How did you know about this? How'd you know what was going on?"

Fletcher smiled and pointed to the door. They turned to a girl, around Fletcher's age, with natural red hair and bright green eyes. "Hi, I'm Molly Grayson! I'm a sensitive and I saw this in one of my visions. We've known this would happen for quite a while." Valkyrie looked at Fletcher as he appeared next to Molly and gave her a shoulder hug.

"She's my new girlfriend. We've been dating for a while. Long story about how we met. To put it simply, I was traveling around the world, went to North America, got into a fight, and Molly helped me. We were just friends until four months ago." Valkyrie smiled, "Well, I'm glad you found someone. Once question though…where'd you teleport everyone to?"

Fletcher smiled back at her, "To the pier you used to meet Skulduggery at. If you want, we could go there and I could have Molly wipe the minds of most of your family." Valkyrie frowned, "Why most?" Fletcher sighed, "She's trying to get used to her powers. She can wipe the minds of about fifty or sixty at a time. Then she has to take a break. I suggest you pick who you want to remember."

Valkyrie sighed, "I guess my parents, my twin cousins, Fergus and Beryl, and my little sister." Fletcher turned to Molly, "Do you think you can do that?" She nodded. "Oh yes! I can manage that!" He smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips. Valkyrie smiled, "I'm glad you found someone else to love, Fletcher. I really am. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Fletcher nodded, "You should thank Molly. She's the one who told me to let it go. If I may quote her, 'It happens a lot. No need to have ill feelings towards a previous love. Besides, you need friends you can rely on.' I think she meant that we should rely on each other as friends, not as lovers, and I think that'll be fine."

Valkyrie nodded. "Perfect!"

After teleporting Sanguine back to the Sanctuary, strapping him back down, and taking his straight razor away, Fletcher teleported everyone to the pier where Valkyrie's confused family members were still standing, clueless and trying to make sense of the impossible. When Fletcher and friends appeared, the family gasped, and Beryl asked, "How did you do that?" Molly stepped forward, but didn't answer her question.

"When I call your name or your family title, please step away from the group and go to your right, just so I know who is who. Okay…Valkyrie's twin cousins, Fergus and Beryl, Valkyrie's parents, and Valkyrie's little sister." The seven of them walked forward and to the right, still clueless, though Alice was just looking at Molly curiously.

"Thank you." Molly said as she turned to the bigger group and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were glowing bright green. "You will all forget about the magic you saw tonight. You had a good time at the party and nothing strange happened. Those of you who had alcohol to drink will feel a little woozy in the morning, but you will remember nothing out of the ordinary from Valkyrie's twentieth birthday party. Right now, we are at the pier where some fireworks were just being shown. They were beautiful, and now the party has ended."

She closed her eyes again. When she opened them, they were back to normal and moisture appeared on Molly's forehead. Everyone in the group snapped out of the trance and looked around. Valkyrie stepped forward, "So, did you like the fireworks?" They turned to her and all nodded at different times. "It was wonderful." A cousin of hers said. "Very pretty!" An adult from the bigger group said. There were some other positive comments before they all started heading back to Valkyrie's home to get into their car and drive home.

When everyone from the bigger group had left, Beryl and Melissa Edgley turned on Valkyie and said in unison, "What is going on, Stephanie?" They looked at each other until Valkyrie spoke, "Um…you may or may not believe what I'm about to tell you but…all that that you saw…that was real magic."

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><p><em>End Notes: Okay, I decided to have only some of the people from Valkyrie's family find out. I'll try to make it convincing. And I'm not sure, but I did guess that Sensitives can do all that if they try and practice. Molly is not a beginner, but she's not a professional. She's around the middle, so she may have mastered seeing into the future, but the hypnotizing is a little harder. Tell me what you think. I'm eager to know if you like it or not! Constructive Criticism please!<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_**_Chapter Six_**_

_Author's Notes: Okay, so far this story is going well. Hopefully this will be good. Love is in the air at the end! Just you wait! Read please and then review with constructive criticism! :)_

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><p>Valkyrie waited as her family processed the information. She knew the twins, Carol and Crystal knew about magic. They had seen it once and believed in it even though they couldn't do anything magical themselves. Beryl, on the other hand, was more practical, and looked at Valkyrie in shock, her jaw hanging loose.<p>

"What?" She managed to say. Valkyrie breathed in and out to calm herself, "Magic exists." Beryl frowned, "You do mean like magicians and tricks and things like that, right dear?" Valkyrie shook her head, "I mean mages and sorcerers, like Necromancers, Sensitives, Teleporters and many more. I mean the real kind of magic, not the kind you see on TV, or that you can hire to do magic shows. That's fake."

Melissa Edgley spoke next, "Stephanie, what do you mean by all this? Is this something you've been keeping from us?" Valkyrie nodded, "I learned about magic a long time ago. I'll explain it to all of you when we return to Gordon's house. Fletcher…"

Fletcher nodded, "Everyone come together and hold hands." Everyone obeyed, even though some were confused. Everyone blinked and they were back in Gordon's house. Beryl stumbled back, "Oh, there's that feeling again. What happened?" Valkyrie explained, "Fletcher teleported all of us back here. Don't worry. Your reaction was very similar to my reaction the first time I teleported with him." Melissa looked at her daughter, "Now…before we all go mad, tell us what's going on. Start from the beginning!"

The story was shortened, cutting out some of the more dangerous parts. Or at least Valkyrie tended to make them sound less dangerous. She started the story at the day before Gordon's will was read, mentioning how she first met Skulduggery Pleasant, even though she hadn't known his name then. She told them why he covered himself – that received a lot of gasps both when she told them he was a skeleton and when he took off his façade – and then told the story of Gordon's murder.

The Edgleys were astonished and frightened to hear that Gordon had been murdered because they thought he died of natural causes. Valkyrie also ended up bringing the Echo-Gordon down from his study. He, Skulduggery, Ghastly, and Tanith all helped Valkyrie tell the story of the years between when she first met Skulduggery and learned about magic, to the present. By the time they were done, it was nearly six in the morning. However, no one was tired and no one wanted to leave.

"So you took the name Valkyrie Cain? Where did that come from?" Desmond Edgley asked. Valkyrie laughed, "Skulduggery had once said I had a penchant for raising Cain. Valkyrie was from a song I had heard plus it fit in a way, and the whole thing seemed to fit together so well." Melissa looked at her daughter, "But that reflection…it acted more and more like you every time you used it. Why is that?"

Skulduggery, his façade back on, answered, "Originally, it's only supposed to be used very little. But she used it practically every day so it kind of gained a small mind of its own. When I had to shoot it to pretend I was killing the real Valkyrie, it got sort of messed up, but it stills works."

"And the Ancients…we are descendent from the last of them, aren't we?" Desmond pointed out. Skulduggery nodded, "Yes, Valkyrie has proven that more than once. When the Scepter of the Ancients was still active the first time, it did – or I should probably didn't do – exactly as the legend said it wouldn't do. When I got close to it, it began to sing. But when Valkyrie got close, it didn't make a sound. Only an Ancient, or a descendent of the Ancients, would be able to get near the Scepter without it alerting the scepter's owner. It was one of the ways we were able to defeat Serpine."

Fergus snapped his fingers, "Wait! I just thought of something. That advice Gordon gave you in the will. What was that all about?" Valkyrie and Skulduggery eyed each other nervously. Then Skulduggery said, "The advice was: 'Your path is your own, and I have no wish to sway you, but sometimes the greatest enemy we can face is ourselves, and the greatest battle is against the darkness within. There is a storm coming, and sometimes the key to safe harbor is hidden from us, and sometimes it is right before our eyes.' He was right."

Beryl looked at him strangely, "Who was right? What did it mean?" Skulduggery shifted in his chair before answering, "He was talking about the key that would lead to the finding of the Scepter. And as a matter of fact, he left it with the four people whom he knew no one would have guessed the key had been left with. Little did these four know that they had been entrusted with the most important and valuable object Gordon had in his possession."

Beryl and Fergus looked at him and said together, "Who are these people?" Skulduggery smiled, "You. You two, and your daughters were given the key." Crystal looked at Skulduggery, "What was the key?" Skulduggery smirked, "The gift, also known as the brooch Gordon left for you." Beryl's eyes widened, "That's why he gave us that ugly thing!" Skulduggery nodded, "Though I wouldn't call it ugly. It was very pretty and VERY useful. But unfortunately for you, it's no longer in your possession."

Beryl gasped, "What do you mean?" Skulduggery looked at Valkyrie, "Remember the day Valkyrie went to see you? That's when she took the brooch. I don't know what she did, but she got it." Beryl was about to explode with rage when Valkyrie cut her off, "You didn't like it Beryl, so don't complain please." Beryl was shaking but finally calmed down with some help from Fergus.

Valkyrie continued, "Without the key, we would have never have been able to get this far and save the world. If I hadn't gotten it, Serpine would have found another way and the Faceless Ones would have returned. You should be thanking my friends and me. But I'll let it go." Skulduggery chuckled. Beryl stayed silent.

Melissa looked at Skulduggery, "How old are you?" Skulduggery hesitated, and then said, "Do you want the truth or a little lie?" Melissa's eyes widened a little, "The truth." Skulduggery sighed, "I'm over four hundred years old." Everyone from Valkyrie's family, except for Alice, gawked. "Over…four hundred? How…how are you alive?"

Skulduggery laughed lightly, "Technically, I'm not. It's a façade. But if I was alive, then yes, I'm over four hundred." Melissa turned to Ghastly, "And how old are you?" Ghastly shifted a little, and then said, "I'm Skulduggery's age." Desmond shook his head, "No…that can't be. You'd be all old looking. And…" Skulduggery interrupted, "Magic rejuvenated the body, keeps it young. Even though Ghastly prefers not to use magic, he does anyway in daily life. Especially since he's now an Elder at the Sanctuary."

Ghastly glared at him and growled, "Thanks for that." Skulduggery shrugged, "Not a problem." Ghastly sighed without responding. Carol took the time to speak, asking, "Are you and Skulduggery dating, Valkyrie?" Everyone looked at her, shocked. She shrank, "What? They looked like they were about to kiss when they were dancing! I was just wondering."

As soon as those words left her mouth, Valkyrie and Skulduggery blushed deeply. It had seemed like they were going to kiss, didn't it? But why would they do that? They weren't in a relationship. But now that Valkyrie thought of it, Skulduggery seemed to have wanted to kiss her back. If they'd had a chance and Sanguine hadn't interrupted, they could've kissed and both of them wouldn't have minded…or so it seemed.

Lucky for her, Skulduggery was thinking the same thing. Looking in the corner of his eye at his partner, he started to realize how close they actually were. All the rumors he kept hearing about them seemed to be meant to come true. But would they? What did he really feel for Valkyrie?

The answer was obvious. And it only took Valkyrie's cousin's words to make him see that.

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><p><em>End Notes: How do you like that? Valduggery! Yes, the plan for Valduggery is working, and it took a while to get there. SIX FREAKING CHAPTERS! Wow! I feel good! Now that Skulduggery realizes his feelings, thing are going to get heated up. Soon I'll be changing it to M, if it isn't already. :D Yay!<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_**_Chapter Seven_**_

_Author's Notes: The romance has begun…or at least it will be beginning in this chapter. XD READ!_

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><p>Skulduggery hadn't realized until the day after Valkyrie's twentieth birthday that he was in love with her. He had loved his long lost wife dearly, and though he hadn't vowed to not love another, he never thought he would. But it seemed that times had changed, and these new feelings were growing fast.<p>

Valkyrie was currently feeling butterflies in her stomach every time she looked at the Skeleton Detective. Even though he had no flesh or at least none when the façade was away, he still was quite attractive, just like he boasted. He couldn't be more right.

Now Valkyrie's family was reluctantly going home and she was opening her presents with her 'magic' friends. Tanith had gotten her a sword that Tanith promised she would help her learn how to use – another part of her present. Ghastly had made, in his spare time, a new set of 'work' clothes, and this time they had an elemental design on the tunic and the sleeves. He said the outfit would go with Skulduggery's present, so Valkyrie was eager to open the next gift from Skulduggery.

She gasped when she opened the box and pulled out a necklace with the symbols of the four elements, plus dark and light, attached. From left to right was air-water-yinyang/darklight-fire-earth. The yin and yang pendant in the middle was bigger than the elemental pieces, but the elemental pieces were made of a special, very unique, and a not easily broken kind of crystal. He had bought it at a magic shop.

"It's beautiful!" Valkyrie breathed, admiring the beauty. "Wow, I love it." Skulduggery smiled as he helped her put it on. "It's to help you **and** me. It'll help remind you of your elemental training, and it will hopefully help keep you on my side and away from those Necromancers." Valkyrie looked at him and giggled, "Of course. Thank you." She turned to the others. "And thank you all for your amazing gifts."

Fletcher appeared beside her. "You forgot about me!" He handed her a rather large bag. As she opened it, she smiled when she saw coined, scarves, a fan, some jewelry, and a crystal ball. Fletcher explained, "Most of that is from my travels. The crystal ball is from Molly. You can talk to her through it and you and I can chat from different places in the world." Valkyrie smiled, "Thanks so much, Fletcher and Molly!" They shrugged as if to say, 'Think nothing of it!'

Ghastly turned to the clock on the wall and sighed, "Well, I better get back to the Sanctuary! This sure was an eventful birthday. Very fun indeed!" Valkyrie smirked, "Thanks! Bye, Ghastly!" He smiled, "Bye, Valkyrie!" He turned to Tanith, "Ready?" She nodded, "Yeah!"

Skulduggery eyed them and tilted his head, "What's going on? Something I don't know about?" Tanith giggled, "We're engaged!" Valkyrie jumped to her feet, "Really? Ohhhh, that's so sweet!" Tanith smiled, "Yeah, he proposed to me while you two were on a case without me. It was quite lovely. How could I refuse?" Valkyrie smiled, "Well, I'm happy for both of you!"

Ghastly nodded, coughing something too low and quick for Valkyrie to hear, though she did hear one thing: 'Skulduggery'. Skulduggery glared, having heard it too, "Knock it off!" Ghastly smirked and said, "That's for earlier!" Skulduggery scowled as he watched his friend and Tanith walk out the door. Now it was just him and Valkyrie, and neither of them knew what to do.

"Well," Skulduggery said. "I should probably head home." Valkyrie frowned, disappointed. "Really?" He looked at her, "Yeah. Why?" He could see it in her eyes. All the rumors that had been going around suddenly hit him in the face, and he said, "Is it true?" Valkyrie looked up with a blush as he walked over to her. "Is what true?"

He walked in front of her, barely a head taller than her. "Do you have feelings for me?" She sighed, "Yeah...and don't think that if you tell me no that this will change anything. I'm still going to be your partner, fighting crime and–" He shushed her and said quietly, "Not at all…" She looked from the ground to him and gasped as he pulled her close into a kiss.

The kiss lasted for ten seconds and they both enjoyed it as Valkyrie stepped closer, pulling Skulduggery to her. When they did come up, Valkyrie gasped. She blinked a couple times and then looked at Sulduggery hopefully, "You…like me like that?" Skulduggery hesitated before nodding. "Absolutely! The only problem we have is me…I'm…well…" Valkyrie laughed a little, "A skeleton?" He nodded. "I don't know if I could give you things that other men **could** give you."

Valkyrie shrugged, "We can always see if Nye can help us." Skulduggery cringed, "But it isn't really reliable. It might do something bad…or worse, it might torture me or kill me again." Valkyrie smiled and placed a hand on Skulduggery's waxy cheek. "We'll never know until we ask and try." He sighed, and then nodded, "Fine…we'll ask tomorrow."

Valkyrie pulled him into a hug, "Do you think we should tell people that we're finally together. You've noticed that people have been spreading rumors and talking about us, right?" He nodded, holding her close. "Yeah…I hoped you hadn't noticed. And for the record, I don't like it that they won." Valkyrie laughed as she released him, "They won? Why? Is it because the rumors are finally true!" She laughed again.

Skulduggery watched her and smiled, "You have a nice laugh." She smiled, "Thanks. And your voice is like velvet. I have always loved your voice, even when I first met you." He blinked, "Is that so?" He smirked, "I hadn't known." Valkyrie slapped her forehead. When she lowered her hand, she asked, "Stay a while? I need a nap."

He hesitated, and then nodded, "Sure…" They headed up the stairs and while Valkyrie headed to her room, Skulduggery went to the guest room. "Later, Skulduggery!" She said, poking her head out. "You too, Valkyrie!" He responded, poking his head out too. Then, in unison, they turned away to go to sleep and meditate.

A few hours later, Valkyrie woke up with Skulduggery watching her. He had his façade on, and was watching her carefully. His head was only inches away from hers. He backed off when he saw her surprised expression. "Sorry…you're very interesting when you sleep." She giggled, "Is that so?" She smirked, "I hadn't known." Skulduggery scowled, "Don't steal my words!" She laughed.

Skulduggery, being already dressed, waited downstairs for Valkyrie to get changed. And then they both headed out, going to the Sanctuary. It was currently 4:10PM. When they were both in the car, Skulduggery said, "Not a word about the kiss and our new relationship, okay? I don't want any attention about that." She nodded, but smirked.

When they reached the Sanctuary, they found Tanith and Ghastly outside, staring at them. "What's going on?" Valkyrie whispered to Skulduggery. He shook his head, "Haven't the foggiest idea." They got out and Tanith walked up to them. "So, how was your **alone time**?" She asked. Valkyrie looked at her in shock. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Oh don't play dumb," Tanith said. "We saw what you did **after** we left." Valkyrie blushed deeply. She pointed at Skulduggery, "He did it. He's the one who did it to me." He gasped, "But you liked it! You asked me to stay while you slept." Ghastly laughed, "You're both at fault actually…for those reasons exactly."

Skulduggery sighed, "Please tell me you didn't tell anyone." He shook his head, "And I made Tanith promise not to." Tanith grumbled something about cuteness. Valkyrie cleared her throat, "Anyway, we need to speak to Doctor Nye about something." Tanith perked up and looked at Ghastly knowingly. They smirked. Valkyrie growled, "Oh, shut up!" Ghastly chuckled and said, "We didn't say anything. I don't know what you're talking about."

Valkyrie sighed and walked past them into the Sanctuary. Skulduggery walked in next, followed by Tanith and Ghastly. Tanith skipped past Skulduggery to Valkyrie as Ghastly walked next to Skulduggery. Tanith turned to Valkyrie, "I wonder what your kids will look like." Valkyrie stopped and looked at her, "Excuse me!"

Tanith laughed, "You should see your face!" Valkyrie grumbled and walked away, using another route to get to Nye. Tanith followed easily. "Where will you two get married?" This time Valkyrie slapped her. But it didn't hurt her friend. It only made Tanith laugh harder. Finally, after a lot of laughter and torture on Tanith's part, the two of them, with Ghastly and Skulduggery behind them, found Nye's lab.

Skulduggery sighed, "This is going to be interesting. I just know it."

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><p><em>End Notes: Yeah, I'm being evil to Valkyrie and Skulduggery here. YAY! I got them together. And it took a long time to do it too! XD But let's face it, they're cute together! And it totally will work out in the end! ;) Read and review with constructive criticism! Thankies!<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_**_Chapter Eight_**_

_Author's Notes: Okay…next chapter! I'm so eager yet kind of scared to get this done. I'm eager because I love writing about romance. I'm scared because I want it to be realistic. Hopefully I'll be able to also include China in my story soon. We'll see…Read and Review Please! Constructive Criticism!_

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><p>Nye looked at them as they walked in, "What do you all want?" Skulduggery looked at Ghastly and Tanith before speaking. "I'm not sure what those two want." He said, pointing to them. "But I'm here to ask for your help on something." Nye looked at him suspiciously, "And what's in it for me exactly?" Skulduggery hesitated, and then asked, "What is it you want?"<p>

Nye smiled, "I like money!" Skulduggery sighed, "How much would you want for something to make me a little more…human-like. You know, with flesh and more." Nye smiled wider, "May I ask why you want that?" Skulduggery blushed, and that's all the doctor needed, "I see. Very interesting!" Skulduggery's eyes widened, "What?"

Nye laughed, "I know a man in love when I see it." Skulduggery sighed, "Whatever, Nye. Just please…will you do this for me?" Nye smiled, "Oh, I will. But first I need to do this." Reaching behind itself, Nye grabbed something attached to a cord that lead up to the ceiling. Pressing a button, Nye shouted, "DETECTIVE PLEASANT IS IN LOVE!" Over and over it shouted this until it began to sing it. Finally, he let go of the microphone and smirked at the blushing detective. "Okay, I'll begin researching now."

Skulduggery Pleasant had never felt so violated and ashamed before. He wished that Kenspeckle was still around to help him instead of Nye. But Nye was the best they could do, and it unfortunately had to spill the beans. How was that going to gain it anything? Unless it just wanted revenge on Skulduggery for something in the past. Was it possibly pointing his gun at Nye? Now that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. But it had been threatening Valkyrie at the time, and Skulduggery couldn't stand that.

Now it had taken them twenty minutes just to get out of the Sanctuary because people were hounding him, asking him stupid questions like how long he had been in love? Who was the lucky girl? Is it Valkyrie? And much, much more. Skulduggery couldn't stand it. Good thing Valkyrie was with him throughout the entire thing.

The following few days, Valkyrie and Skulduggery were forced to spend most of their time with Valkyrie's family – or at least the few members of her family who **knew** about magic now. She had been forced to demonstrate a little of it, but had almost made her sister cry when she showed them necromancy. Good thing she showed her sister water next and her sister's crying ceased immediately.

Skulduggery refused to leave Valkyrie alone with her parents so he decided to help **entertain**. He gave Alice a chance to fly with him around the house, provided he held her tight and promised not to let her fall. All in all, Melissa and Desmond Edgley were getting used to Skulduggery, despite what he actually was. When the news got out that they were now dating was confirmed, it only fazed Melissa and Desmond slightly before they nodded in agreement, only wanting the best for their daughter. They didn't know what to expect when it came to grandchildren, but they didn't question their daughter or her new boyfriend.

When Valkyrie returned home a week after the Nye incident, Skulduggery stayed with her in her room and let her drift to sleep next to him. Watching her sleep proved to be interesting and quite amusing to Skulduggery because she sometimes talked in her sleep. He also found comfort when she subconsciously reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him close. He smiled and wrapped his other arm around her as if to protect from anything that might cause her harm in her dreams. She smiled when he did this and he couldn't help but feel good.

When the weekend was over and they walked into the Sanctuary on the following Monday, they were sent straight to Nye's lab. When they arrived, Nye looked up and smiled. "I have a solution to your problem and I know a way to fix it." Valkyrie and Skulduggery looked at each other and then back at the doctor with hope.

Nye brought out a rather small bottle containing a few pills and handed it to Skulduggery. "Let those dissolve in any drink and I guarantee that after you drink it whole, you'll have skin, organs, and all that good stuff in around five minutes. But I warn you, it will be painful. It lasts up to around ten hours. I'm still working on a permanent solution in which all you have to do is touch a symbol and it comes on and off without pain, but that'll take more time."

Skulduggery and Valkyrie thanked him and bowed, and Skulduggery put the bottle of pills in his jacket. He turned to Valkyrie and said simply, "Tonight." She nodded and they headed to Ghastly's office to retrieve their assignment for the day. Most of the time, these days, they only needed a day to complete assignments. You may ask why it only took them that much time, which is very impressive. Well…

They were just that good!

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><p><em>End Notes: Okay, Mature stuff coming in the next chapter, but before that…please tell me, did I do all right? I hope it seems believable. Nye is an expert for these things, so I expected it to take a short amount of time – a day or two – to find the INFO he needed, and then the rest of the week to form a pill that would work. I'm not even going to tell you what he tested it on. I have thoughts, but it's not very pretty. Anyways, R&amp;R please! Constructive Criticism!<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_**_Chapter Nine_**_

_Author's Notes: Now comes Mature! I saved it for Chapter Nine! Yay! Read…if you dare! Skip to the *~*~*~* if you don't want to read the mature stuff. _

Skulduggery spent the late afternoon, after their assignment, away from Valkyrie. But he came back to her house in the early evening. He didn't say where he had been. And though her curiosity was powerful, Valkyrie didn't ask where he had been. He would tell her when he was ready.

Skulduggery approached Valkyrie's house and walked in – he was used to just walking in these days – and found Valkyrie reading in her room. She smiled as he approached. "Hello," she said. "How have you been?" He shrugged. "Fine, I guess." He responded. She would've pried more if not for the little voice in her head telling her not to. Something told her she'd find out soon enough where he had been while he was away.

Skulduggery removed his jacket and went to the bathroom, took a plastic cup, filled it with water, and put one of the pills Nye had given him into it. Once it had dissolved, he opened his mouth, which were technically just teeth at the moment, and poured it in. Two seconds after it went down, air came up and he gave a small burp.

Valkyrie laughed from the other room. "What was that?" She asked. He hesitated, and then said, "Sorry about that! Just trying out one of the pills with–" He stopped and gasped as he felt his insides begin to twist. When Nye had mentioned it would be painful, it didn't bother him too much then seeing as he had been tortured before. But this was different. This was awful.

He hunched over, putting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily. Valkyrie stepped in. "You okay in here?" He didn't answer as the pain continued. Valkyrie waited by the door for about four minutes and then walked forward. "Is it working?" He turned to her, taking his hat off and leaving it on the counter in the bathroom, without responding and Valkyrie gasped at what she saw.

His face was exactly as he had described it when she was twelve: not too bad to look at. It actually was amazing. He had gorgeous blue eyes, a soft expression, a middle-sized nose, nice lips, and a curved face. After another minute, Valkyrie noticed his black hair as he turned to look in the mirror. Taking off his gloved, he looked at his new hands. Then he stared at his face.

"This is exactly what I looked like when I was alive." She smiled, "If that's the case, then you were quite handsome when you were alive." He turned to her a smiled, a movement he had practiced with the different façades. He stood up straight and pulled her close, "Thank you." She kissed his soft, smooth cheek and smiled, "Shall we?" He nodded and they walked into Valkyrie's bedroom.

They sat on the bed as their lips met and Skulduggery found himself more eager to take her now that he was more or less human-like. He pushed her back and began to remove her top as she undid the buttons on his shirt. When both top and shirt were off, they moved onto trousers. Valkyrie's trousers were easy to get off, but Skulduggery had to help her with his. Valkyrie wasn't at all surprised that he had no underwear on, but was a little surprised by his size: bigger than she expected.

He pulled her close before she could get a good look and undid her bra and whipped off her underwear. He pulled her closer and caressed her body and exploring until she spoke. "Take me." She whispered. He nodded and entered her. She gave a small gasp and pulled him closer. After pulling the covers over them, she let him roam her body, trying things. She never said no.

Both of them came a few times and Skulduggery pushed even further into her, though he was still careful not to hurt her. He had done this before, yet she hadn't, he reminded himself. Wait! He had taken away her virginity! He smiled to himself as he told her this. She laughed, "You're expecting me to get back at you for being the **one** to take it, am I right? Well, let me tell you. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Those words made Skulduggery's technically-dead heart soar. He smiled and pulled her into another kiss. He released one more time before they took a break, turning off the lights and going to sleep. Skulduggery pulled Valkyrie close and smiled as he watched her sleep. She was beautiful. He felt so lucky that he met her, even if she was only twelve at the time. He had watched her grow up and had fallen in love with the girl. Even when she was younger, he cared; maybe not in a romantic sense. But he still cared.

The next morning, Valkyrie woke up and Skulduggery seemed to be gone. But as she looked around, she saw his hat sitting at the end of the bed. He wouldn't leave his hat, would he? _No, probably not_, she reasoned. She smiled, got up, and got dressed. Then she headed downstairs where she found Skulduggery back to his normal skeletal self. He was wearing a façade which looked even waxier than usual – maybe because the pills had made his skin look amazingly smooth – and was reading the newspaper. When she started down the steps and he heard her footsteps, he looked up. He smiled, turning back to the newspaper.

"How did you sleep?" He asked. She smiled, "Good, you?" He chuckled, "I don't sleep, my dear Valkyrie. I thought you knew that. Sorry I didn't wait for you to wake up to come down here, but I was eager to read the paper." Valkyrie laughed, "That's fine. I don't mind. Your hat being upstairs was a big clue that you were still here." He smiled at her, "So you did get my clue? Good. You are learning a few things after all." She playfully punched him in the shoulder and he laughed.

Valkyrie had breakfast and then they headed out. The day turned out to be as normal as days during those times could get. They beat the bad guy or guys and then they'd spend the rest of the time, after transporting the bad guy or guys to the jail in the Sanctuary, at Valkyrie's house making out and doing other fun things.

After a month or so, they received a call from the Sanctuary telling them to come to Nye's lab as soon as possible. It was around 7:00PM when they received this call, but they went anyway. When they arrived, they found out that Nye had fantastic news for them. During the month, Skulduggery had used the twelve pills he had been given. Now that they were done, he thought that was it. But…

"I have finally come up with the substance that will help you. It's another pill, but this time, it will cause no pain and you can take it off with a mere tap of a symbol on your collar bone, seeing as that's where the original symbol was. When you take the pill, the symbol will morph to allow the change to occur. And then all you have to do to take it away is touch the symbol and that'll be that. Unlike before, the transformation takes up to a minute instead of five. I am a genius, aren't I?"

Skulduggery nodded to the doctor and said sincerely, "Yes you are, Nye. Yes you are. Thank you!" They took the new pill and brought it to Valkyrie's home. True to Nye's word, the pill worked immediately. And I won't even go into detail about what happened next…

_End Notes: Yeah, I was only going to put mature content in once. I may do it again later, but only once in this chapter. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. So, if you liked this chapter, tell me so. If you didn't, please give me constructive criticism. Thank you! :)_


	10. Chapter 10

_**_Chapter Ten_**_

_Author's Notes: YAY TEN! I can't believe I made it this far. And for this chapter, I'm going to include something I include in quite a few of my stories, plus more maybe. The 'more' may come in Chapter Eleven. I'll decide soon enough. To tell you the truth, I write the author's notes BEFORE writing the chapter. I don't know why. I just do. Read and review please! Constructive Criticism please!_

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><p>A week passed and Valkyrie felt sick. She took off from work for a week and let Tanith take her place. Tanith was easily just as effective as Valkyrie, but Skulduggery still missed his partner and girlfriend. He came to see her every day of that week and told what they did every day when she wasn't there. He made it sound so interesting, though Valkyrie could tell he was lying about a few things.<p>

But it was by the end of the week that Valkyrie finally decided that she needed a doctor. Not trusting Nye quite enough to do the job, she went to a normal doctor. Skulduggery offered to go with her, but she insisted that she could do this alone. But Skulduggery wasn't going to let that happen. So, taking on one of their cases alone, he sent Tanith to accompany Valkyrie on her trip to the doctor.

The man's name was Dr. Patrick Leech. Valkyrie didn't know him, so she was a little hesitant, but went with him when Tanith persuaded her it would be okay. Valkyrie wasn't scared of the man, but seeing as her life was always in danger, she didn't know who to trust anymore. But she reasoned that this was an ordinary man doing his job and, therefore, everything would be okay.

After doing a few tests, some being uncomfortable and some not as much, the doctor got the results. And it wasn't exactly what Valkyrie was expecting. She had expected something along the lines of a cold, or a virus spreading around, or maybe fever, or food poisoning. But what she wasn't expecting was…

"You're pregnant."

Skulduggery received a call soon after 1:00PM that same day. Tanith had been the one to call, telling him that Valkyrie was going into a state of shock from the news the doctor had given her. When Tanith told Skulduggery the news that Valkyrie was pregnant, it made him work faster to get the bad guys behind bars and get to Valkyrie.

When he arrived at Valkyrie's house – the location Tanith told him to meet them at – he found Valkyrie's parents and sister – along with Tanith – already there with their daughter, trying to get her out of shock. But nothing they did worked. She only stared ahead, almost unblinking, at the wall. Her mother tried talking to her, but she could tell Valkyrie was in no condition to listen. At this point, only Skulduggery would be able to get to her.

When Skulduggery ran through the door, everyone except Valkyrie turned. Tanith stood and walked up to Skulduggery as he asked, concern written into his voice, "Is it bad?" Tanith nodded, "She's been staring at the wall the whole time. She barely blinks and I don't know if she's even listening or aware of anything. We can't get through to her." He nodded, "I'll try to help."

Desmond Edgley stood up. "You will not!" He shouted. "My daughter is now pregnant and in shock because of you! Don't you dare come near her!" Skulduggery tried to speak, but then Melissa Edgley interrupted with a voice low and threatening, "No, you will leave now. You have done enough to her. We were already quite upset that you pulled her into such a dangerous world. But now you've crossed the line."

Skulduggery looked at them with horrified blue eyes. He made fists and finally spoke, "You think I wanted this to happen to her? You think I wanted her to have this kind of life? You are wrong! I tried to warn her about the life she was getting into, but she didn't listen to me. **She** chose this! I didn't choose this for her! I would **never **have forced her into something like this! But the truth is that she didn't want to be normal…once she found out about magic, she wanted to be a part of it. If she hadn't chosen to go into the world of magic, I would probably be dead…or more dead anyway. She's saved me more than once, and I intend to stay by her and help her whenever she is in danger or is in need of my help. I would never do anything to hurt her. I've always let her choose. It helped to teach her to get around in life.

"Valkyrie Cain is a very special person, in more ways than one. She is a descendent of the Last of the Ancients, she can be the most amazing yet most dangerous person in the world if her life depends on it, and she has become the most important person in my life to me. I lost my first wife and child to death, and I promised myself that when your daughter became my partner, I wouldn't lose her the same way I lost them. We've been through more than you know, and we've both grown quite a bit. And if you think you can stop me from being with her, _YOU HAVE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING_!"

Everyone, not including Valkyrie, looked at him in horror. His arms were now blazing with blue fire as his anger consumed him. It was only when Valkyrie turned her head, looked up at him, and spoke that he left his anger recede. "Do you mean all that?" Everyone gasped and looked at her. She looked at him with her dark eyes staring deeply into his sapphire ones. "Did you?" She managed to ask again.

Skulduggery stepped carefully over to her as her parents walked away and bent down to look her in the eye. "Of course I did, Valkyrie. You should know that by now. I…I love you." For the first time since she went into shock, she smiled. Pulling him close, she kissed him. They both closed their eyes and savored the feeling of the kiss. When they parted, Skulduggery turned to the Edlgeys and Tanith and said, "Give us a moment please." They didn't argue as they went into the kitchen and waited.

Skulduggery turned back to Valkyrie as he took something out of his coat. It was small, and with Skulduggery's fingers around it, Valkyrie couldn't see what it was. Skulduggery sighed, "I was going to wait to present this to you, but I guess now would be a better time. I won't force you into anything, but I must ask you the following, my dear Valkyrie…"

He opened his fingers to reveal a small velvet-covered box with a heart stitched onto the top. Seeing the box alone was enough for Valkyrie as she looked up at Skulduggery. Her heart speeded up as she looked back at the box as he opened it. Inside, sitting on a cushion, was a beautifully crafted dark silver ring with a red gemstone.

"Valkyrie Cain, also known as Stephanie Edgley and Darquesse…will you marry me?"

Valkyrie would have slapped him for mentioning her true name if she wasn't in shock. Instead she looked at him and said, "Yes…I will! Oh, Skulduggery, I love you so much!" She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Now they were both on the floor, holding each other. When they parted, Skulduggery carefully put the ring on her left hand, on the fourth finger down. It fit perfectly. Valkyrie smiled at the ring and then turned to see him smirking.

"What?" She asked. He held up a finger to silence her and then removed the cushion from the box. Underneath of the cushion was a similar ring to the one he gave Valkyrie, this time with a blue stone that matched his eyes. She laughed, "You sneaky…" She laughed again and helped him put on his ring. It was at that moment that they heard a familiar gasp and turned to see Tanith looking at them with wide eyes, "You two are engaged?"

They nodded together as Valkyrie's family and Tanith joined them. Skulduggery turned to his fiancé. "Now you know where I was that one afternoon a few days ago." She gasped. "Oh no, you did not!" He laughed, "Glad to see you're back to normal! I knew **I'd** be the one to get you there." Valkyrie smiled at him, and then placed on hand on her lower stomach as she felt movement from within. She smiled and turned to Skulduggery, "What gender do you think it is?" He shrugged, "Doesn't matter to me. What do you think it is?" She shrugged and mimicked him, "Doesn't matter to me."

Tanith cheered, "I can't wait to tell Ghastly! This is going to be so **awesome**!"

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><p><em>End Notes: Yeah, so I got them engaged. I'm still deciding on the gender and the name for the baby. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to review and tell me what you think the gender and name of the baby should be, along with if you think I did a good job on this chapter! :) Thanks! Constructive Criticism Only Please!<em>


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

_Author's Notes: Okay, I took a break from writing after Chapter Ten, so sorry about that. But good thing you might not have noticed because this will hopefully be up soon after the already written yet not edited as I type this Chapter Ten. I'm sort of winging it now. I'm trying to make it good, but I don't know. I'm putting China in this chapter just to have her there…and give her an OC. I'm still thinking it over, and hopefully it'll be clever! :) Read and Review with Constructive Criticism!_

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><p>China Sorrows was walking to her secret and rather new apartment in Haggard when she heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. Knowing by the sound of it that it wasn't an animal of any sort, she called out, "Who's there?" She heard a low chuckle as someone came away from the shadows. The shadows blurred the man's features; he was trying not to be seen.<p>

"You're a Necromancer," China stated. "But I'd like a name." The shadowy figure nodded and said slowly, "You may call me Nightmare." China sighed, "Is there a last name I should know about?" The figure shook its head. "I don't believe in last names. I had one when I took my name, but then let it sink into the shadows when I realized it was a pointless name."

China turned, her attention fully facing the dark figure, "Do I know you?" The man shook his head, "I doubt it. I lived in America before I came here. As for why I'm here, I believe you have the answer to my problem." China raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And what is your problem?" He sighed and pointed to himself.

"This," He said. "I've been stuck in shadow form and the only way to get me out is for a master of symbols to use the Symbols of the Shadows and undo this. I've been living in hiding, moving by shadows, just to avoid scaring mortals. Few have seen me, but I was gone before they knew what I was. Please help me. I will pay you if you wish. "

China had frowned at the mention of the Symbols of the Shadows, but her smile returned at the word 'pay', and she said, "My services do not come cheap!" He nodded, "I'm willing to pay a lot. I have the money with me. I am, in fact, a very wealthy man." China nodded, still not understanding one thing. Everyone she had ever met would fall instantly in love with her when they saw her, but this man didn't seem to notice her beauty. Maybe he couldn't see it.

"Can you see me?" China asked after a while. The man nodded, "Very clearly. Why?" She shook her head, "No reason." The man tilted his head in confusion. But China ignored this gesture. She nodded to herself and then said to him, "Alright, I'll help you."

It was now 7:00PM at Gordon's house. Valkyrie and Skulduggery were spending their time playing chess. And so far, after around ten minutes, Skulduggery was winning. "Check," He said. Valkyrie frowned, and then moved one of her pawns to protect the king. Skulduggery grinned and made another move. "Check." He said again. Valkyrie grumbled, and moved another pawn. Skulduggery chuckled, moved a pawn, and said, "Checkmate!"

Valkyrie looked at the board, saw what he had done, and glared up at him. "You cheated! I know you did!" He laughed, "I've been around for quite a while, Valkyrie. Besides, I was always good at playing chess." Valkyrie glared at him again and punched his arm. He laughed again.

There came a knock on the door, and Valkyrie got up to answer it. "Hello Valkyrie," China said with a smile. "I was wondering–" Valkyrie interrupted, "What are you doing here?" China smiled patiently, "If you'll allow me to finish, I can tell you." Valkyrie closed her mouth, making it into a straight line. Just as China was about to continue, Skulduggery came to the door, "Who is…OH!" He glared, "What do you want?"

China sighed, her patience ebbing away, "I would like to continue and tell you…but you won't let me finish." They both stayed quiet waiting. China looked at them and said, "I have someone with me who is in need of my help, but since I don't know much about the type of magic he needs and since my library was destroyed, I had to resort to asking you for help in finding a black book with the title Shadow Symbols or something along those lines."

Valkyrie eyed her suspiciously. "How do I know it's not for your own gain?" China shrugged. "To tell you the truth, it only is a little bit. I'm being paid for my help. But I don't have the book. Once I have the book, I'll be fine. If you want, you can find it for me. I won't go to Gordon's study at all." Skulduggery interjected, "How do you know Gordon has this book?"

China looked at him and responded, "Because he told me he did when he was still alive." Valkyrie asked, "Who is the person who needs your help?" A dark figure behind China answered, "I am. My name is Nightmare. And I came to China when I needed her help turning me back to my human form. Please, she's doing this for me."

Valkyrie nodded, "If that's the case, I'll go look and ask Echo-Gordon where it is." China smiled her thanks as Valkyrie turned away from her and hurried up the stairs to Gordon's study. Skulduggery turned to China as his fiancé left. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here, I hope you realize." She nodded, "I do. I'm sorry, but it was the only thing I could think of. I don't know anyone else who has a copy of that book."

The silence after that was uncomfortable. Finally, China broke it, "So what's been happening lately. You should know people don't come to me anymore. It's probably because I went into hiding. No one knows where I live now." Skulduggery's expression didn't lighten up. "Lots have happened." He muttered angrily.

"I see you're flesh and blood again. How'd that happen? And why are you at Valkyrie's house?" Skulduggery's eyes hardened. "Nye is the answer to the first one, and Valkyrie and I are engaged is the second." China's eyes widened, "You're engaged? Congratulations!" He didn't answer. He folded his arms against his chest. "You know I don't trust you. And I probably never will now that I know…"

China nodded somberly, "I understand. But you must know that people change. I changed and even though you probably don't believe it...I am on your side now, Skulduggery." He turned away. "What you did will never be healed or forgotten. And what you're saying is just plain stupid. Just…stop talking to me before I lose it." She nodded and they waited for Valkyrie.

Meanwhile, Valkyrie was talking to Echo-Gordon. "Yes, it's on the far shelf over there next to that blue book." Valkyrie thanked him and went over and took the black book from the shelf. She looked back at Gordon who looked uneasy. "What?" She asked. Gordon sighed, "I don't want that book leaving this house, Valkyrie. So I suggest you allow her to do the transformation here."

Valkyrie whined, "But she…she betrayed Skulduggery. She's done too much. I don't want her stepping foot in here!" Gordon crossed his arms, "You heard what I said and I'm sticking with that. Now go let her in." Valkyrie grumbled and headed back downstairs. China and Skulduggery turned to her as she approached.

"Gordon said he doesn't want the book leaving the house, so you have to come in." Skulduggery's eyes widened, "What!" Valkyrie nodded, "I tried to reason with Gordon, but he's so stubborn. China, you can come in. But as soon as this is done, you are to return the book to me and leave with the Nightmare guy." China nodded, "You have my word." Skulduggery muttered very low, "No, we don't."

China took the book and opened it, flipping through it until she got to near the middle of the book. "This is it." She scanned the page and nodded. Then she turned back to Nightmare who was standing there looking over her shoulder. "Can you do it?" He asked. She nodded, "I think I can."

She took her purse that she always carried with her and took from it a special pen. Carefully, she carved symbols into the air, and when she was done, she thrust them at Nightmare who cringed for a moment before standing still, as if he was paralyzed. Then, about five seconds later, the symbols took effect and the darkness around him began to swirl back into two things on his arms. When the shadows went away completely, they saw a man with jet black hair and bright green eyes wearing a green undershirt, jet black jacket that had sleeves that went to his elbow, dark jeans, and hand warmers that he had obviously chosen to house his shadow magic in. But all in all, this man was just as handsome as Skulduggery in human form.

China, for the first time in her life, blushed. She had met many people in her life, and of all the men, she had never known anyone who looked quite as enrapturing as the man who stood before her. She shook off the weird feelings and smiled, "Better?" Nightmare looked down at himself, "Yes…much! Thank you…to you, and to the nice, young lady here. Thank you." Valkyrie smiled, "I'm Valkyrie Cain." Nightmare's eyes widened, "I know you. You're the Elemental **and** Necromancer who has saved the world from the Faceless Ones more than once." She nodded, "That's me!" He smiled, "It is an honor to meet you, Miss Cain."

She shook his hand, "Thank you. And I'm glad I could help." He smiled, "If I may, I'd like to pay both of you for your help." He took out one bag and handed it to China. And then he took out another, smaller bag and handed it to Valkyrie. "I came prepared just in case I needed more help than just China's. Please do accept. It might be less, but I assure you, it's contains over $100."

Valkyrie smiled, "You are too kind. Thank you." He smiled, "I must leave now, but I wish you all well. I need to find myself a place to stay." China acted quickly and said, "You can stay with me for the night if you wish. No extra charge is required." They all looked at her stunned, but then Nightmare smiled, "Thank you. I appreciate it." China smiled, liking the man more every minute.

After Nightmare and China left, Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery, "You don't think China is falling in love with that Nightmare guy, do you?" Skulduggery shrugged, "Hard to tell." Valkyrie could sense it, though. She knew there was something going on with China and that man. Whether it was one sided or not, there was something. And only time would tell what would happen with their relationship next.

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><p><em>End Notes: Yeah, I made this chapter more about China because I wanted to add her. But I think I did really well. Maybe China is a bit out of character at the end, but I have a good reason why I did that. As mentioned in this chapter, China is used to men and women falling in love with her. When this man didn't, it caused something in her. And when she saw how handsome he was, well…it made her think. And she likes him and wants to win his affection. For now it's for her own gain, but soon enough she'll learn about true love. I just hope I can write it correctly. Read and Review! Constructive Criticism! :)<em>


	12. NOT A CHAPTER: SORRY!

Dear Readers:

I will not be continuing this story. I am currently outside the interest level of this fandom. I am truly sorry, but I'm working on other things. Please look at my profile to find out what I'm currently working on.

Thank you,

RTNightmare (Rachel)


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